FAAN's Competitive Research Grant Program

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Since 1991, FAAN has been leading efforts in food allergy education, advocacy, and awareness. Over that time, we have spoken with, or written to, tens of thousands of families with food allergy. Our unique perspective and our extensive contacts in the scientific research community uniquely position us to lead this new research effort.

FAAN’s research program brings together scientists, patients, foundations, and industry and government representatives to advance research that will improve the quality of life for patients, and guide us to find a cure for food allergy. Our integrated approach includes consulting with experts and helping shape research ideas and programs around the world. Our fast-track grant review process ensures that scientific studies will begin quickly.

Advancing Research

FAAN provides research funding to scientists throughout the world to advance innovative research projects that show the most promise, and to attract new scientists into the field of allergy and immunology. Our program fosters collaboration among our colleagues in the government, medical groups, foundations, and the food industry. Working collaboratively with all stakeholders, FAAN can leverage research dollars to maximize efforts, speed up research, track and report findings, assess needs, and develop future research goals and objectives.

FAAN’s research program brings together scientists to discuss what is known, what needs to be done, and what we need to do to get there. FAAN’s research program accomplishes the following:

  • Combines education, awareness, and advocacy to increase government and private funding for research
  • Brings together multidisciplinary groups to address key issues
  • Helps chart the course for future research
  • Stimulates partnerships between scientists and funders
  • Provides a fast track review and funding for upcoming research
  • Informs donors of research activities

FAAN awards grants to support the research activities of qualified researchers. FAAN’s Research Advisory Board (RAB), which is comprised of distinguished leaders in the medical and business communities, provides oversight for the implementation of FAAN’s mission, goals, and objectives.

Research Priorities

Before you can solve a problem, you must understand it. FAAN’s prevalence studies have taken the lead on understanding the scope of the food allergy problem in the United States; FAAN’s quality of life study was the first to document the impact of food allergy on a family, and it has spurred several other studies that will give scientists and policymakers a better understanding of the impact of this condition on the patient and the family. Many questions remain, including:

  • What is the psychological impact on children at various stages of life?
  • Why is food allergy increasing, and what can be done to halt the trend?
  • How can we prevent food allergy from developing?
  • Why do some people develop food allergies while others do not?
  • What mechanism(s) causes severe reactions in some individuals but only mild reactions in others?
  • Why are teens at highest risk for severe or fatal reactions?
  • Which specific proteins in food cause the allergy?
  • Are there treatment therapies that can help prevent or reduce the severity of reactions?
  • What treatment options, besides an injection of epinephrine, might work?

FAAN’s research priorities, developed from our long-term knowledge of the needs of individuals with food allergies and the questions scientists are trying to answer, include the following areas:

  • Epidemiology What is the size of the problem? Who is affected?
  • Etiology What causes food allergy?
  • Treatment How can we avoid or control anaphylactic reactions?
  • Prevention How can we stop food allergy from developing?

Research Advisory Board (RAB)

The RAB directs FAAN’s research program agenda, reviews grant proposals and research study results, and oversees the grant award process.